Hello all,
I am trying to process a bunch of zip files (a couple of hundred), each has a formatted name (hopefully correct) containing author and title, and in the zip file has a text file (some of the newer ones have a html but most is just a .txt file) and some have a .jpg or a .gif file. I would like to parse them out to be read by my nook/kindle. I would like to put title / author / chapter etc and put the cover on there if it has one. I can see the zip file read it in, but none of the formatting etc is in there.

I guess what I need to ask is
1) where to begin
2) if the existing filters/plug ins can do this
3) if not where to start coding this plugin.
4) how to automate (batch file/script file?)

write a filetype plugin that runs on import of zip files and a metadata reader plugin for reading metadata from zipfiles. You can work off the existing plugins in the calibre source code. See the sections on writing plugins in the user manual